Livestock is typically raised in a facility that is remote from a rendering facility. Thus, the animals must be transported from the facility in which they are raised to the rendering facility, typically by a vehicle such a semi-truck trailer having multiple levels of animal transport decks. Typically, livestock such as hogs are conveyed from a structure such a barn to a truck trailer by means of a ramped gang way. Because the deck levels of the truck are generally higher in elevation than a level of the barn door, the livestock must generally negotiate an uphill inclined ramp. Moreover, such a gang way is usually exposed to the elements, thereby causing the livestock to encounter an environment very different from that within the barn. Such changes in environment and the physical exertion required to climb the ramp can cause stress in the animals. Hogs, in particular, are particularly vulnerable to such stress, which can increase mortality and cause physical changes in their bodies that can undesirably affect the quality of the meat produced therefrom.